Failure of terraforming efforts in the Solar System hit home. Global morale sinks to new lows as riots break out in many major cities. Earth's governments decide that fast action is required to keep society from falling into chaos. As rebuilding Earth’s ecosystem no longer appears to be an option, a plan for mass exodus is proposed instead. The GEA (Global Exodus Alliance) is formed and given unlimited governmental authority and complete control over Earth's meager remaining resources as member nations cede their power to the organization. The GEA moves quickly to take control of infrastructure, police and military and most of the private sector as well, all in the name of mobilization of the greatest single endeavor in human history. Plans are made for the evacuation of the Earth-That-Was's population to the 34Tauri (2020) star cluster.

With plans for colonization in place, global resources mobilized, and construction of arks and ark modules on-going, the Global Exodus Alliance (GEA) makes its final move to cement control over humanity. The GEA publishes the "Articles of Alliance", a super-constitution which supersedes all other legal systems on the planet. As China and the U.S. are contributing most of the resources and much of the know-how to the Exodus Project, they take joint stewardship over the new "global government". Smaller countries are given a choice, sign the articles or give up any chance of having their populations join the exodus. Results are almost immediate, unilateral capitulation by 98 percent of Earth's governments. The Alliance is created.

First wave of terraforming begins. Dozens of Robot terraformer ships are launched. Their targets are two planets orbiting the Verse's central sun, a white primary, dubbed "White Star" (later, simply “White Sun”) by the Americans and "Bai Hu" or "White Tiger" by the Chinese.

Latest projections show Earth unable to support more than 5 percent of current population within three decades. GEA recommends a vast expansion of the Exodus Project and Alliance approves, remaining cities will be systematically dismantled to increase the size of the ark fleet tenfold. Pollution runs wild as ark fleet is considered the only priority.

Boarding of the ark ships begins. Over the last five decades, Earth population has dropped to around one billion due to starvation, disease, toxic contamination, and criminal activities. Reproductive rates have dropped to near zero. Most of the Earth's population now lives in squalor. Although most ark ships will not depart until completely loaded (a process that takes years), survivors welcome the safe, sterile, climate controlled environments of the Ark ships after the horror Earth has become. A rich black market develops that sells positions in the boarding lottery, falsified medical certificates, and other items needed to gain quicker access to the arks.

September 20 - Malcolm Reynolds is born. In the motion picture Serenity, the date of birth for Malcolm Reynolds is displayed as being September 20, 2468.

Screens from Serenity suggest that Mal was born on September 20, 2468; which would make him 49 at the time of the series Firefly; though this may be a mistake, since the information screen also misspells his name as "Malcom," and may have been intended to be 2486, making him 31, an age more consistent with his appearance (and the actor's own age).

Zoë Alleyne is born. Zoë Alleyne's year of birth year was confirmed on an information screen in a deleted scene from Serenity, available on the DVD release of the film, which also indicated the specific date, the indication that she was born vesselside, and her Social Control Number. The Firefly Timeline by Edgar Governo indicates Zoë's date of birth as February 15, 2484, while a feature in The Signal #2.4 podcast indicates it as March 15, 2484 — both based on that deleted scene.

September 20 - Malcolm Reynolds is born. In the motion picture Serenity, the date of birth for Malcolm Reynolds is displayed as being September 20, 2468.

Screens from Serenity suggest that Mal was born on September 20, 2468; which would make him 49 at the time of the series Firefly; though this may be a mistake, since the information screen also misspells his name as "Malcom," and may have been intended to be 2486, making him 31, an age more consistent with his appearance (and the actor's own age).